Sleeping car arrangement



April l0, 19511 G. R. ERICSON SLEEPING CAR ARRANGEMENT 6 Sheets-Sheet lFiled March 9. 1946 INVENTOR 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR G. R. ERICSONSLEEPING CAR ARRANGEMENT April l0, 1951 Filed March 9, 1946 pril l0,1951 G. R. ERlcsoN 2548,00@

SLEEPING CAR ARRANGEMENT Filed March 9, 1946 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORApril l0, 1951 G. R. r-:RlcsoN SLEEPING CAR ARRANGEMENT 6 Sheets-Sheet 4Filed March 9, 1946 INVENTOR e sheets-sheen 5 Filed March 9, 1946 6Sheets-Sheet 6 G. R. ERICSON SLEEPING CAR ARRANGEMENT April 10, 1951Filed March 9, 1946 J n w 9v .am a m mm 4 mm M -L m@ .--illl PatentedApr. 10, 1951 UNITED STATES @TENT erica? SLEEPING CAB. ARRAN GEMEN TApplication March 9, 1946, Serial No. 653,232

This invention relates to railway sleeping cars of the fullycompartmentalized or duplex roomette type. f

It is, obviously, desirable to arrange a railway sleeping car so as toaccommodate the maximum number oi passengers consistent with reasonablecomfort and privacy of and accessibility to the individual passenger.Maximum privacy and convenience is attained when each passenger isprovided with an individual room and fully compartmentalized cars havebeen provided in which upper and lower rooms are arranged in staggeredrelation along the car side wall so as to make maximum use of theavailable space. However, since the movable beds are usually storedagainst the end wall, a substantial portion of the length of the car isrequired for this purpose and the number of rooms which can be arrangedlongitudinally is thus limited. Furthermore, when the bed of theseprevious arrangements is in the prone or sleeping position, the room issubstantially lled and it is necessary for the passenger to lift the bedto its storage position in order to gain access to the toiletfacilities. Moreover, in some cases, the passenger must step into thedoorway of the room to release and lift the bed and a flexible curtainis provided in the doorway to permit this.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sleeping carhaving the maximum number of rooms consistent with the comfort andconvenience of the passenger.

It is another object to provide a sleeping car room in which the bed isstored against the side wall instead of the end wall of the room so thata minimum of longitudinal space is required for the partitioning betweenadjoining rooms.

Another object is to provide a sleeping car compartment or roomettehaving a bed which may be transversely slid and tilted by the passengerto a storage position against the side wall of the room.

Another object is to provide such a room in which the bed is subject totransverse sliding movement toward its storage position so as to clearsufficient floor space upon which the passenger may stand to completethe storage operae tion without the necessity of standing in the roomdoorway.

Another object is to provide such a room in which the bed may bepartially slid towards its storage position so as to clear the toiletfacilities without disturbing the bed clothes and the like, which may beon the bed, as a result of excessive tilting thereof.

9 Claims. (Cl. 105-315) These objects and other more detailed objectshereafter appearing are attained by the structure illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal center section,partly broken away, illustrating the room arrangement of a sleeping carembodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, partial vertical longitudinal section takensubstantially on the line 2.--2 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 3 is a similar view taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section taken substantially on line lofFig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a similar section taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a partial horizontal section taken substantially on line 6 6of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a similar section taken on line 1--1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a detail horizontal section taken online 8*!3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail View showing one r of the bed latches.

The rooms are arranged in staggered upper and lower arrangement (Fig. 1)with fourteen on each side of the center aisle 3e, those on each sidebeing conveniently numbered alternately, as shown. Assuming the overalldimensions of a standard sleeping car, twenty-eight rooms may beprovided and each compartment may be 6 feet 8 inches long and ofadequate height and width. At each end of the car there is provided avestibule 3| and at the right hand end above room No. 27 there isstorage space 32 which may be utilized for an electrical control panelor for a linen closet. At the left hand end there is provided the space33 which may conveniently accommodate a toilet, a door 34 being providedto permit access thereto. Between the adjoining upper and lowercompartments, there is provided 1 inch end wall partitioning, as at 35,36, and 3l, and each room is provided with a sliding door mounted in acentral doorway in the inside wall of the room. Elongated hand holds 38and 38a are provided on the outside of each upper doorway and door,respectively, to be grasped by the passenger, rst in opening the door,then in climbing steps 35 to enter the compartment.

The arrangement of the individual compartments, which makes possiblethis unusually large number of rooms, is shown in the remaining figuresillustrating, in detail, two adjoining upper and lower rooms A and B,and opposite rooms C 3 and D, which are identical with all othercorresponding rooms.

As best shown in Figs. i and 5, the rooms are arranged along oppositesides of a center aisle 35 with an upper room A directly opposite alower room D which is identical with room B in Fig. 3. The samereference nun. rais are applied to identical parts in the correspondingrooms. Figs. 2 and 3 show a pair of adjoining rooms A and E along theouter side wall lid of the car with staggered windows ii and 12.Vertical, longitndinai walls '53 and lll form the inner side walls ofthe compartments and denne aisle 35 between them. End partitions 35extend from false roof d5 to the door 45 of the car and each has anintermediate, horizontal portion i? upon which is mounted a seat i8having a folding back le which, in its erect position, rests against thepartition. The end of each room opposite wall 35 is formed by partitionSi joining partition 35 intermediately. The door of the uppercompartment A is formed by a web connecting partitions 35 and 3l.Mounted on the inside wall of the rooi'n is a toilet unit includinghopper 5l, disappearing wash basin and a mirror 51% with light 53a.

Each lower room B is also defined by partition ing 35 and 31 and extendspartially under upper room A. A movable chair 54 rests on the floor andhas folding back and legs so that it may be laid fiat on the door whenit is desired to use the bed, as described hereafter. This room has asimilar toilet unit including hopper 55, wash basin 55, and mirror 5l.

Mounted on end wall panels 35 and 3? of each upper room are identicalguideway structures 5d and 59 supported by brackets 6! and 52. A bed pan63, formed of sections longitudinally hinged as at 65, is normallystored in an edgewise position against the outer side wall beneathwindow lil (Figs. 2 and 4). This bed pan is adapted to receive amattress and bedding to form a comfortable bed of adequate size. The bedpan extends longitudinally of the room and has three stub shafts 55a,65h, and 55o, projecting from each end thereof. Shafts 6519 and 55o eachreceives a roller bearing 66 (Fig. 8), these bearings riding in thelower guide structures B. 'Stub shafts 64a on the upper edge of the pan(Fig. 4) mount pivotal brackets 6'! carrying similar bearings which ridein upper guide-ways 59. In the storage position, a spring latch 58 onfloor web 59 engages bracket 68a on the bottom edge of the bed pan(Figs. 5 and 9) to lock the bed in position. The final latching movementof the bed is effected by the passenger exerting his weight on a footbracket 69 near the lower edge of the bedpan.

Spring means to assist raising of the bed to its prone position isillustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. This means comprises a coiled tensionspring 'lil having a cord 'H on one end adjustably connected to abracket i2 on end wall 35 by means of a screw 13 and nut M. At theopposite end of the spring there are attached the ends of a cord loop'I5 which extends along each end of the bedpan and under the lower sideedge thereof. This cord extends through eye brackets 16 (Fig. 8) whichlimit the retraction of spring T9 and, consequently, the effort of thespring in lifting the bed. In Fig. 5, the broken line positioning il ofthe bed is about that to which it will be moved under the influence ofthe spring mechanism. Preferably, the strength of spring 19 very nearlybalances the weight of the bed so that the passenger or porter mustapply only slight pulling force to handle T8 to start the bed towardsits prone position.

When it is desired to withdraw the bed from its storage position, thepassenger steps on projecting linger 99 of latch G8 and then drawshandle 'i8 upwardly and outwardly. When the bed reaches the position l1(Fig. 5), bearing rollers 55a will be located in the outwardly anddownwardly inclined portion 59a of guide structure 59 so that theoperator may exert his weight on the bed to continue its movement bycamming action to the prone position illustrated at 93 in Fig. 5. Lowerbearings h and i55C continue in guide structure 6G and the finalhorizontal sliding of the bed along guide portion 59h may be easilyeffected by the passenger merely sitting on the bed and pulling himselfand the bed toward the inner wall by grasping the inner handle 19 on thedoor. This may be effected without the necessity of the passengerstanding on the floor or in the doorway of the room. When all therollers are in the horizontal portions at the left hand or innerextremities of these guide structures, the bed will be stably supportedin its prone position.

The passenger may gain access to the toilet unit merely by sitting onthe inner edge of the bed and pushing on handle T9 to slide the bedpartially toward the outer side wall. When bearings 55a have reached theright hand extremity of horizontal guide portions 59h and the right handside of the bed has been slightly flexed downwardly along tracks Si),the passenger will have plenty of room to stand on the fioor andslightly elevate the bed, as to broken line position 'Il (Fig. 5). Inthis latter position, the toilet unit is clear and the bed is onlyslightly tilted so that bed clothes and other articles on the bed willnot be disturbed. Of course, the proportioning of the bed, andparticularly the hinging thereof, and the size and positioning of thetoilet unit may be adjusted so that this unit will be fully clearedmerely upon the initial horizontal sliding of the bed without anylifting thereof.

Guide members 82 and 83 of each lower room (Figs. 4 and 5) are similarto guides 59 and 69 in the upper rooms, except that at the outerextremity of each upper guide structure 82 there is provided an upwardlyoffset portion 8A. The longitudinally hinged bed 85 has end bearings86a, 86h and `iiic riding in the guides 82 and 83, as in the case of theupper bed. When the bed is moved flush with side wall, end bearings 85aenter offsets S4, under the influence of spring mechanism similar tothat previously described, to lock the bed in its storage position. Afoot bracket 8l is provided on the lower edge of the bed to be steppedon by the passenger for exerting his weight to effect the final movementof the bed to its storage position. Upon releasing the foot pressure,the bed will automatically lock, as described. In restoring the bed toits prone position, chair 54 will be folded so as to rest ilat on thefloor. The operator then steps on bracket 81 to release upper bearings86a from latcning groove 84, then gently pulls upwardly and outwardly onhandle E8, as before.

The spring mechanism for the lower bed is similar to that of the upperand is indicated in Fig. 2 at 96. At the limit of retraction of spring9i), bed bearings 65a will be part way down the inwardly and downwardlyinclined portion 82a of upper guide structure 82 so that the passengermay exert his weight downwardly on the inner Ei edge of the bed tocontinue the movement. The final horizontal sliding portion of the bedmovement is effected, as before, by the operator pulling himself and thebed toward the inner wall by grasping door handle 9|. Fig. 5 illustratesat 92 the position of the bed when it has been moved just suiiciently toclear the toilet facilities. The bed is illustrated at 93 with its outersection horizontal and at the end of the camming action effected bydownward movement of bed bearings 86a in upper guide structure 85. Thewash basin is shown at 56a withdrawn from the unit and ready for use.

All upper rooms are exact duplicates of the room A described and alllower rooms are exact duplicates of the room B. Various elements, suchas the spring mechanisms and the bed guides will be concealed bypanelling in actual use. Other facilities and conveniences, as desired,may be provided within the available space. The horizontal sliding andtilting motions of the bed are much easier for the passenger than otherstorage movements as, for instance, vertical endwise tilting, and,further, the possibility of partial movement of the bed toward itsstorage position to clear the toilet facilities without disturbing thebedding is a very great advantage. l

The number of units and, of course, the size thereof may be variedwithin the limits described by the purchasing railroad. A standard 80foot sleeping car will easily accommodate twentyeight of the rooms asdescribed above, each 6 feet 8 inches long and providing room for a bed6 feet 4 inches long and at least 21/2 feet wide. Since the bed storageutilizes a portion of the side wall, the end partitioning need be onlysufficiently thick for structural and sound proonng purposes.

The invention may be modified in various respects as will occur to thoseskilled in the art and the exclusive use of all modifications as comewithin the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

I claim:

1. In a sleeping car having a room denned by spaced longitudinallyextending aisle and side walls and transverse walls interconnecting thelongitudinally extending walls, a bed in said room of slightly lesswidth and length than the room, guide means for said bed having a lrstpart arranged to support said bed in a prone position adjacent saidwall, a second part to permit edgewise sliding thereof to a positionflush with said side wall, and a third part permitting slight edgewisemovement of said bed along said side wall when in said ilush position,and spring means mounted along said side wall for urging said bed intosaid last mentioned guide means so as to lock the same in said flushposition.

2. Sleeping car structure as described in claim 1 further including anactuating projection near the lower edge of the exposed face of said bedwhen in said flush position for engagement by a passengers foot to lowersaid bed from said locked position.

3. Sleeping car structure as described in claim 1 further including anactuating bracket near the upper edge of the exposed face of said bedwhen in said iiush position to facilitate outward movement of said upperedge alongvsaid guide means to restore said bed to said prone position.

l4, In a sleeping car having a room defined by transverse end Ywalls andlongitudinally extending aisle and side walls and containing a hopperadjacent the aisle wall, a bed in the compartment 6. of substantiallythe same length and width as th compartment and overlying the hopperwhen in prone position, said bed being formed of sections hingedtogether longitudinally of the car, guide means on the end walls, andbearing means for the bed sections movable in the guide means, saidguide means being formed to permit edgewise shifting of the bed inlateral and vertical directions whereby the bed may be movedv intohorizontal position for occupancy and parallel with and adjacent theside wall when stored, the bed being shiftable horizontally toward theside wall while occupied by the passenger to clear a standing space inthe compartment and tiltable when moved beyond such clearance positionto permit access to the hopper.

5. In a sleeping car having a compartment dened by transverse end wallsand longitudinally extending side and aisle walls and containing ahopper adjacent the aisle wall, a bed in the compartment ofsubstantially the same length and width as the compartment and overlyingthe hopper when in prone position, said bed being formed of two sectionshinged together longitudinally of the car, upper and lower guide meanson the end walls, bearing means on the ends of one section of the bedAengaging in the upper guide means, and hearing means on the ends of theother section of the bed engaging in the lower guide means, said guidemeans being formed to permit limited horizontal shifting of the bedsufficient to clear standing room inthe compartment and upon furtheredgewise movement of the bed to cause tilting of the bed section mountedin the upper track to clear the hopper and vertical movement of the bedpivoted in the lower track.

6. In a sleeping car having a compartment dened by transverse end wallsand longitudinally extending side and aisle walls and containing ahopper, a bed in the compartment of substantially the same length andwidth as the compartment and overlying the hopper when in proneposition, said bed being formed of two sections hinged togetherlongitudinally of the car, upper guide means on the end walls having ahorizontal portion terminating in an angular portion, rollers carryingthe ends of one section of the bed mounted in said guide means, lowerguide means on the end walls extending horizontally and vertically atthe ends and joined by a curved intermediate portion, and rollerscarrying the ends of the other bed section mounted in said lastmentioned guide means, the upper guide means causing the bed sectionmounted therein to move horizontally a limited distance when pushedlaterally of the compartment and to move angularly therebeyond to clearthe hopper when such horizontal movement is continued.

7. In a railway sleeping car having a room dened by spacedlongitudinally extending aisle and side Walls and spaced transversewalls interconnecting said longitudinally extending walls, a exiblebedpan in the room of slightly less length and width than the room,bearings xed to and projecting from each end of the pan, and means onthe transverse walls in which the bearings are mounted and guided, saidguide means being formed to support the bearings with the pan inelevated horizontal position in the room when moved to one extremeposition toward the aisle wall, with the pan bottom in vertical positionadjacent the side wall when moved to the other extreme position and withthe side of the pan adjacent the aisle wall in horizontal position andthe other pain side in vertical position when moved 7 away from theaisle wall for accommodating a passenger.

8. In a railway sleeping car having a room dened by spacedlongitudinally extending aisle and side walls and spaced transverseWalls interconnecting said longitudinally extending walls, a fiexiblebedpan in the room of slightly less length and Width than the room, aplurality of bearings xed to and projecting from each end of the pan,and guide means on the transverse walls in which the bearings aremounted, said guide means and bearings supporting said pan in elevatedhori- `zontal position in one extreme position of adjustment, said guidemeans including portions permitting downward flexing of the side of thepan next to the side Wall and coincidental sliding movement of said pantoward said outer Wall to clear a portion of the room floor space.

9. In a railway sleeping car having a room defined by spacedlongitudinally extending aisle and side Walls and spaced transverseWalls interconnecting said longitudinally extending walls, a flexiblebedpan in the room of slightly less length and Width than the room, aplurality of bearings projecting from each end of the pan, means on thetransverse Walls in which the bearings are mounted and guided, saidguide means being formed to support the bearings with the pan inelevated horizontal position in the room when moved to one extremeposition toward the aisle Wall, with the pan in Vertical positionadjacent the side Wall when moved to the other extreme position and withthe side of the pan adjacent the aisle wall in horizontal position andthe other pan side in vertical position when moved away' from the aisleWall in an intermediate position, and counterbalancing spring meansattached to the pan and xed in the room.

GEORGE R. ERICSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

